By growing our International Business relationships; customers will no longer have to wait for the packages to navigate through customs and pay the International shipping charges which currently starts at $14.95 USD and increases based on weight and destination.

Product Give Aways to International Customers

We are a family owned and operated business that provides world wide service. Our daughters' work part time in marketing and advertising so we conference on Skype each week to plan our strategy. I was talking with Joy about our ViralSweeps program that started in November. This program is open to our International Customers. For more information, Check out our GlassEyesOnLine Viral Sweeps Page.

The drawings are random so I was curious about why we had more winners from the USA. Joy pointed out that it is directly related to the distribution of our customers. We have fewer International customers and they are more frequently dealers. They purchase our products at Quantity Discounts up to 40% off and use the Free Shipping for orders over $99 USD

Sales: Top 10 Countries

The reports were eye opening. Jerry and I started talking about how to grow and support our International Sales and Service.

Are you located in a retail brick and mortar store in another Country selling our products or are you thinking about carrying our line and would like to be featured on the Dealer Store Locator Worldwide Page?

We'd like to hear from you! Please get in touch with Jerry at info@glasseyesonline.com

We will be able to post your Country, Business Name, Store Address, Phone Number, Store Hours, and E-mail Address and direct International inquiries to your shop.

When I first came to work with Jerry in 2013; one of the things I started to notice was how Jerry responded to e-mail from customers. Generally the e-mails were questions about products, services, and complaints about order mistakes or shipping issues.

I could tell that Jerry was feeling overwhelmed and frustrated when trying to respond to the e-mails while juggling all the other aspects of the business. Sometimes these feelings would spill out into his e-mail responses and sometimes he did not respond to the e-mail at all. ​

Jerry is Happiest When He is Being Creative - How to Insert Glass Eyes In A Wood Carved Ruddy Duck

Over the past five years I've had many conversations with artists and crafters about the ups and downs of running a small business. Inevitably customer e-mail comes up in our discussions. Many people I talked with considered responding to e-mail a major small business challenge. They felt like the time spent answering questions and dealing with complaints was robbing them of precious time and energy to create.

Jerry and I also had many disagreements about how to handle the e-mail responses. I wanted to improve our customer service around e-mails so I spent some time "working the problem" as they say in NASA.

I began to read articles about e-mail conversations with customers and communicating with emotional intelligence. I wanted to educate myself about best practices for responding to a customer e-mail. ​​As I learned more about it; I started Hand Crafting Our E-Mail Responses. This might seem like more work with little reward; but I found it cuts down on time and energy and increases sales and happy customers. Most importantly, it makes for a Happier Marriage when your running a small business with your spouse. ​Read on to learn what I did and see examples of how our e-mail responses have changed.

I started by categorizing the e-mails and found that in our business most of them could be placed into five groups.

Customer can't find what they are looking for in the online shop

Customer has a special request

Customer looking for Do It Yourself (DIY) information or education about an art & craft medium relating to products we sell.

Customer did not get their package

Customer received the wrong item

Your business might have different groups; but a good place to start is by looking for patterns and repetition in the e-mails.

Setting A Goal & Making Changes to E-mail Responses

Customers with questions about art and craft mediums and How To questions were taking the most time to answer if we bothered to answer at all. We began doing the research and gathering information to answer frequently asked questions about these topics. We were learning more about how our products were being used from articles and the artists and crafters working with various mediums. We started archiving the information on the Customer Creations Site and providing links to this information in our e-mail responses when appropriate. This saved a tremendous amount of time. Customers thanked us and expressed appreciation that we were willing to freely share information with them through the links.

We also started paying closer attention to the emotion or feeling the customer might be trying to convey through the e-mail and how to craft our response to show we care and value their feelings. We began addressing the customer by name whenever possible and signing with our name to make it more personal. We also started looking for repetitive e-mails that could indicate a new problem in shipping, packing. or the new website and shopping cart. We began to appreciate that our customers were giving us early warnings of problems that we might be able to fix.

Our Goal is to hand craft our e-mail responses to meet the needs of the customer and highlight our business. ​

​Below are three examples of how our e-mail responses changed over time.

Etsy Convo Response in 2013

Customer Inquiry:​Hi there I was just wondering if it's possible to make a listing for just one of the 18 mm noses and a pair (2 eyes) of the brown 21mm safety eyes? If that's possible how much would it be? Thanks

Our Response:​Sorry I don't do special listings on other sites, however I do have singles for sale at my web site, glasseyesonline

Etsy Convo Response in 2017

Customer Inquiry:​Hi! Just curious if you could offer a mixed pack of pink noses in 8, 12, 15, and 18mm sizes? I'm not sure which size would be best for my project.

Our Response:Hi Sarah, Jerry does not do special listings; but if you want to order the 18mm Flock Triangle Noses and make a Note to Seller with your Etsy order indicating the size / number of noses; I will be happy to do this for you.

E-mail Response in 2013

Customer Inquiry:​I'm new to teddy bear making and wondered what size joints I should get for a 8 inch teddy bear that I am making?

Our Response:​Try a google search. Jerry

E-mail Response in 2017

Customer Inquiry:​Are the 30mm eyes roughly the size of a quarter? Maybe a smidge smaller? I have a Thomas Dam Iggynormous 12" troll that is in desperate need of new eyes. Also any information you have about restoring troll dolls? Thank you so much for your time!

Our Response:​Hi Steven,I think we can be of assistance with your troll doll and eye sizing information request.

In reference to your question about eyes sizing Below is a link to a millimeter to inch conversion chart that you might find helpful when sizing eyes for your troll dolls. 24mm is roughly the size of a quarter.https://www.glasseyesonline.com/conversion-chart

I looked at some photos on-line for the Troll you referenced and the pictures looked like transparent glass eyes.Jerry carries Amber glass eyes. It is a transparent color glass. You will find this eye on straight wire or looped wire in many colors and sizes in the glass eyes section of the online store. Link ishttp://www.glasseyesonline.com/glasseyes

E-mail 2014

Customer Inquiry:​I'm so disappointed. ;-( I received the wrong item. I ordered brown eyes and you sent blue eyes. How are you going to fix this ????

Our Response:​Must have been a senior moment. I'll send them out tomorrow. Jerry

E-mail 2017

Customer Inquiry:​I received my package and you sent plastic joints and I ordered the traditional joints. I really need the plastic joints and this is going to set me back on finishing an order for a client !! ​

Our Response:​I am sorry to read that I made this mistake with your order. I will send out the correct joints tomorrow with a prepaid return address label to return the incorrect joints. You will get a separate e-mail with tracking information. ​I apologize for my error and the inconvenience I caused by it. Sincerely, Carolyn

Our attitude about e-mail from customers has evolved over the past few years. We are now grateful for the early warnings we get from customers and realize our responses are opportunities to learn and grow our business.

If e-mails from customers are taking too much time away from creating; check out these articles.

If you have ideas or suggestions about responding to e-mails that you would like to share we would love to read them! Share in comments below or send us an e-mail !

Sign Me Up For My Free GlassEyesOnLine Newsletter

]]>Mon, 01 Jan 2018 12:01:13 GMThttp://glasseyesonlinecustomercreations.weebly.com/blogging-about-marriage-with-a-small-business-to-raise/reflecting-on-2017-at-glasseyesonline-and-making-plans-for-2018It's New Years Day and I am reflecting on how we spent the past year at GlassEyesOnLine. I can get caught up in thinking about our business mistakes and missed opportunities. It helps to go back and review the blogs, newsletters, and do some number crunching to remind myself of what we have accomplished in our small business and get some enlightenment about our direction for 2018.

In 2018, we want to give artists and crafters an opportunity to share their expertise in their own voice and get paid for their work.We sent out a call for Guest Writers. Look for these articles in the monthly newsletters in 2018.

Building a New Online Store

For over a year we wanted to build a new secure online store. The old site was limiting our ability to grow our business. In 2017 we committed to building a new secure website. Learn More about what happened behind the scenes when we were Building a New Online StoreIt was well worth the time and energy we put into planning, building, and then going live on August 23, 2017. The new site allows us to give our customers quantity discounts for any size and color in the listing. We had some fun making this video to explain the new quantity discounts to our eye inspectors.

Looking Forward to 2018

Jerry is planning to add new sizes and colors of Glass Eyes, Doll Eyes, Safety Eyes and Noses this year.

We're also planning a Christmas in July and Black Friday to Cyber Monday Sale in 2018.

We're planning to attend at least four business conferences / art and craft shows this year to continue our life long learning and mix a little business with fun and creativity!

Random Give Aways

We started monthly giveaways using Viral Sweeps in November. We collaborated with The Cheerful Chameleon for a very successful giveaway of a crochet pattern and safety eyes. We're planning monthly giveaways in 2018.

Do you sell patterns or kits in your small creative business? ​

We are very interested in collaborating with you on a 2018 monthly giveaway.Promote your products and business through our giveaways.

We're looking for:Needle Felting Patterns and KitsCrochet and Knitting Patterns and KitsDecoy and Wood Carving Patterns and KitsDoll and Teddy Bear Patterns and Kits. Tickets to Conferences and Art & Craft ShowsSubscriptions to Magazines and Moree-mail Carolyn glasseyesonline@gmail.comUse "Giveaway" in the subject line.

Get announcements of future Give Aways by subscibing to our monthly newsletter and like and follow us on your favorite social site.

All the planning and hard work involved resulted in a 63% increase in website orders and 191% increase in website sales last year.​​We considered it a success despite the problems we encountered between the sale and discount modules in the shopping cart program.

My plan was to have another Black Friday to Cyber Monday sale in 2017. I also planned to incorporate advertising the sale on Pinterest in 2017

Fast Forward to 2017: What Happened to that Black Friday Sale

This year for several reasons, we did not plan and implement a Black Friday sale. I pulled together the numbers to see howNothaving a sale impacted our bottom line.

We experienced a 43% decrease in orders and 61% decrease in sales. We were noticing the decrease in orders over that weekend and rapidly pulled together a CyberMonday sale; but we were unable to recover the gains from our previous year. It was clear that planning and preparation that we did in 2016 was well worth the effort.

So What Happened to the Black Friday to Cyber Monday Plan?

As I reflect on how we dropped the ball on Black Friday sales; I think about what we were doing last summer when we should have been making preparations.We were hard at work behind the scenes building the new website, going live, then fixing the inevitable glitches with the new secure online store. We just ran out of time and energy. Some of our customers had inquired about whether or not we would be having Black Friday Sales. That should have been a wake up call for me! I underestimated how valuable and important this was on several levels. I realize now that most everyone looks forward to that weekend of sales whether they are venturing out to stores or buying on line. It is the official beginning of the Holiday giving spirit for customers AND businesses of all sizes.

What Next?

In November we subscribed to Viralsweeps and had our first ever Give Away with a total of 84 entries. Three winners received a Summertime Santa Crochet Pattern by Charlyn from The Cheerful Chameleon and 28 Pair of Assorted Size Black Safety Eyes. We were pleased with the increase in likes and followers on our social media sites. We also had an increase in sales while the give away was advertised. We decided to have more Giveaways each month in 2018 and are hoping to partner up with other businesses that sell patterns, kits, and other DIY craft products. Interested in being a partner in our Give Aways?

Here's How It Works For Your Business

You give away a product you want to promote in your business. We include one of our products that compliments your product!

We're interested in

Teddy Bear Patterns or Kits

Needle Felting Patterns or Kits

Doll Patterns or Kits

Fish Lure Patterns or Kits

Jewelry Patterns or Kits

Duck Decoy Patterns or Kits

Crochet, Sewing, Amigurumi Patterns and Kits and More!

The customer can enter the Give Away on our Sweepstake Page at our website or through our Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram posts.

When entering the Give Away, the customer can get extra chances to win by using Social Extras. Examples of Social Extras are:

Like your business on Facebook

Follow you on Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube, or other social sites that your business uses as part of it's marketing.

Below is an example of the social extras from our first give away with Charlyn from The Cheerful Chameleon. ​

You decide which social sites you want to promote and we take care of those details for you at no cost to you. You also promote as much or as little as you like in your social marketing platforms.

If you are interested in participating, contact us at glasseyesonline@gmail.com We'd love to answer your questions and work with you on a give away in 2018! ​

One of the highlights of my trip to Sydney Australia with Joy, was meeting with Debbie McDonald and Janine Smith to talk about Skein Sisters. We met at the Sideways Cafe for breakfast just around the corner from their fabulous Yarn Shop. Skein Sisters is a short walk up the street from the Light Rail at Dulwich Grove Stop.

The Skein Sisters are not related. They actually met while working at the Royal Botanical Gardens together. They learned that they both loved knitting and would show each other the projects they were working on and the yarn they found. The dream of owning a yarn shop gradually came out of this time together.Debbie and Janine shared stories with us about how they learned to knit and why they started their yarn business. They work together in their partnership and have a very good piece of advice for our readers that are thinking about or just getting started with their own creative business.

Carolyn:I learned how to crochet from a neighbor that migrated to the United States from Germany. Can you tell us who introduced each of you to knitting and yarn?

Debbie: My Mom taught me how to knit. It was handed down from my Grandmother to my Mother. They were in London during World War 2 and there was an absolute need to make your own clothes and grow your own veges. A basic absolute need! I grew up with my mom knitting, sewing, embroidery, crocheting, macrame, absolutely everything creative!

Janine: My Mother grew up in Brisbane North of us in Queensland with an older Sister and my Grandmother. They taught my Mom to sew. My mom became a dressmaker by trade. It extended to Quilting, Knitting, Basketry, Millinary, Beading. My mother was also a very crafty lady !

Carolyn & Joy:We see lots of yarn for sale in the United States that is made in China. We've read that Australia and New Zealand are one of the top producers of high quality wool and yarn in the world. As owners of a yarn shop do you find this to be true?

Debbie & Janine:​​It used to be; but Australia had a huge problem with a lack of water for scouring the wool and how to handle the resulting waste products. Our country began outsourcing the process of scouring, dying, and spinning to China. The quality started to go down. Recently there has been a big movement to bring the entire process of making yarn back to Australia and New Zealand.

​Smaller mills are opening or revamping to bring back production of high quality yarn. I know of one mill in Australia that has two engineers looking closely into efficient ways to treat the waste water that comes from scouring the wool.

Carolyn & Joy:You carry yarn in your shop made in Australia, New Zealand, United States, and Ireland. Do you find your customers in Australia are educated about yarn and looking for locally made yarn?

Debbie & Janine:​The country of origin is not as important for our customers as having a variety of beautiful high quality yarn they can see and feel. We market our yarn by Brand. Our customers range from the novice to expert. We also have customers that are fashion students in the local university. We offer to give new customers to the store a tour of our shop and explain the characteristics and qualities of the different brands. We also list yarn by the brand in our online store as well and explain the process used by the maker of each brand. We find that having a physical store is promoting our online shop as well. We ship our yarn anywhere in the world. It's a unique experience for our customers to be able to find such a variety of gorgeous yarn in one place. We also want to give great customer service in our shop and provide an unmet need for high quality yarn for creative people.

Deb & Janine:Most of the instructors come from the New South Wales Knitters Guild. We are offering a variety of classes for the beginner to the experienced knitter and crocheter. We will be having some holiday workshops.

Weaving a Wall Hanging With Sky Carter

Learn to Crochet Christmas Amigurumi.

We have two social nights a month on Tuesdays and it attracts people of all ages including local university students. More information about classes offered is available at our website.Skein Sisters Classes and Workshops Schedule.

Carolyn & JoyWe read about your very complimentary talents, Debbie with retail fashion & textiles and Janine with advertising and marketing as well as writing. As business partners in Skein Sisters, do you have a method for assigning the tasks and responsibilities with running your business?

Deb & Janine:When we decided we wanted to open a Yarn Store we made a long list. It included everything we thought should be part of a dream yarn store. We knew we wanted a sophisticated point of sale system that would track inventory between the brick and mortar store and the online store. We also wanted an easy to navigate, beautiful and clear website for ordering online. We ended up dividing our responsibilities down the middle. The store we found was an old tool store covered in sheet metal with bars on the windows. We needed to rip out everything. Our husbands got involved in helping us create the coolest yarn shop in the world! We were lucky to have their expertise as well.Debbie:My husband is an architect and he designed the store in such a way to make yarn the focus.

Janine:My husband has an interest in photography and took photography classes in the past. He has a great eye for photographing the wool to show color and texture as accurately as possible in a picture. Check out the example below and see more photographs at Skein Sisters.

Debbie & Janine:Now we divide our responsibilities as we go. We talk about everything and get input from our employees about social marketing and business. It's very collaborative. We work well together which is great because there are very long days!​Our biggest issue is finding time to do everything we want to do...

We've learned that "It doesn't all need to be done now"

Great advice from Skein Sisters for creative businesses just getting started.